


Medicine is Dirty Work

by Cornerofmadness



Category: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Genre: Gen, Medical Procedures, gangrene, pus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:33:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28295355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cornerofmadness/pseuds/Cornerofmadness
Summary: Jane is home for the summer, and she can’t get enough of Mac’s medical stories. The others aren’t as enthusiastic.
Comments: 16
Kudos: 10
Collections: fandomtrees





	Medicine is Dirty Work

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sys](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sys/gifts).



> **Disclaimer:** Not mine, Kerry Greenwood owns it
> 
> **Notes:** Written for Sysann for Fandom Trees 2020. Happy Holidays. Hope the medical details aren’t too grotesque. They’re pulled from things I dealt with in my own wound care practice.

Phyrne moved through the small party in her home with the ease of someone born to socialize. She had invited all her friends to welcome Jane back from her studies for the summer. What she hadn’t anticipated was Aunt P showing up with one of her friends for a surprise visit. Phyrne didn’t mind having Prudence around but her friend, Clarette was a complete pill, judgemental and not afraid to show it. Even Aunt P seemed a bit embarrassed by it.

After Clarette loudly shared her opinions on female doctors, the inappropriateness of talking about things medical – which Jane wanted to hear about – and the pointlessness of paying to educate the lower classes, Phyrne set the older ladies up with tea and biscuits in front of the radio in another room. A show Clarette actually liked was playing and once they were settled out of earshot of the others, Phyrne went back to her own friends only to find them all clustered around Mac and Jane, listening to the girl peppering Mac with questions. Phyrne poured herself a well-deserved drink, smiling to herself at how inquisitive her ward had turned out to be. Phyrne approved entirely of her curiosity and swift mind.

“I’m not sure this is proper talk for a party,” Dot fretted, drawing Phyrne’s attention.

She sashayed over and sat between Jack and Mac. Collins had his hand on Dot’s arm, looking rather dashing out of his constable’s uniform. Mr. Butler sat on the outskirts of the cluster with a tot of something of his own. Burt and Cec leaned in listening and yet looking horrified.

“Is that really true?” Jane demanded to know.

Mac smiled and lit a cigarette. She took a long draw, blowing a smoke ring. “Absolutely true. There are two kinds of gangrene, wet and dry.”

“How are they different besides the obvious?” Jane had a tablet with her, apparently taking notes. Burt slugged back his beer as if trying to wash away the idea of gangrene.

“I’m not sure I want to know.” Collins shuddered. 

“Wet is very dangerous,” Mac said. “It can travel up a limb like lightening. I’ve seen it kill in just a few hours. It makes bubbles of gas that you can actually see on X-Ray.”

Burt made a face, turning away.

“You have to amputate quickly to save a life,” Mac continued and Jane’s face almost glowed, she was so excited to hear the details. “Dry gangrene is less of an emergency. It’s usually from poor blood flow. I’ve seen patients with toes that look like they belong on a mummy.”

“No way!” Jane bounced in her chair, and Phyrne smothered a laugh at the girl’s excitement.

“A mummy?” Jack asked, sipping his whiskey.

“Like anything you’d see from the Valley of Kings,” Mac assured him, and Jane made a notation on her tablet. “And since the blood flow is bad in these patients you don’t want to have to operate unless you have to.”

“How do you get rid of the gangrene then?” Jane leaned forward on the table.

“You wiggle the toes every day until they come off.” Mac grinned broadly.

“Oh miss, no!” Dot balled up her fist, pressing it to her lips as Cec went green. Even Phyrne squirmed a bit.

“Now Jane, have a look and take a guess who’ll faint first, Dot or Cec.” Mac wagged a finger between the two of them.

“I think you might have to get the smelling salts for Cec.” Jane beamed.

“Hey!” he protested as Burt shoved him lightly, grinning.

“Maybe that’s enough about gangrene,” Jack suggested lightly, and Phyrne clinked her glass to his.

“Fine, killjoys,” Mac said lightly. “All right, let me tell you about how to drain an abscess and how some of them are under so much pressure pus can hit the ceiling.”

“Yes!” Jane cried and Dot put a hand on her arm, shaking her head.

“Maybe another night,” Phyrne said. “Maybe Mac could allow you to shadow her at the office.”

Jane almost levitated off her chair. “Could I?”

Mac beamed. “I think that would be a great idea.”

Jane hugged them both and for Phyrne that was the best welcome back home present she could get.


End file.
